Weathering The Storm
by Annber03
Summary: A seemingly simple evening with Henry causes Reid and JJ to sort out a few lingering issues.


_Takes place after the episode "There's No Place Like Home". Started out as a simple bit of Reid/Henry cuteness, and turned into…this. _

* * *

_"__I want to be in the eye of the storm, holding your hand, and if you get sucked into it, I want to go with you." ― R.L. Griffin, __Seamless_

_Tap…tap, tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap. _

JJ never imagined she'd be so thrilled to hear a sound as simple as that of a knock on the door. But this particular type of knock…this was one she'd definitely come to miss lately.

As she headed towards her front door, she snuck a quick glance over in the direction of her son Henry. He sat on the living room floor, eyes wide with curiosity at the source of the sudden noise. JJ lingered on him for a moment, noting the vibrant color in his cheeks, the brightness in his eyes, the overall _playfulness_ that had begun to return within the last week…

_He's here. And he's okay._ Not for the first time that day, JJ sent out a silent _thank you_. To whom or to what exactly, she wasn't quite sure, but it was out there anyway, all bases covered, in the hopes the message would be received somehow.

"Who do you think's at the door?" she asked Henry then, her voice full of excitement, as she hurried to keep her guest from waiting any longer. A quick peek through the peephole, a twist of the doorknob, and the visitor's head soon appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Spence." JJ stood aside as she greeted Spencer, ushering him in.

"Hi, JJ. Sorry I'm a bit late. Traffic was heavy." Spencer said, taking a brief scan of the house. _When did she change the curtains? I don't remember that picture being on the table before. The last time I was here there was a vase there, and that was…_

The realization of just how long it'd been since he'd been to JJ's place left Spencer a little startled. And, as he turned his gaze towards his godson, quite guilty as well. Fortunately, seeing Henry's eyes light up, and his arms outstretched, was enough to allow Spencer to shake that sharp pang away for the time being.

"Henry! Hey, little buddy, how ya doing?" He quickly walked over and knelt down next to Henry, wrapping him up in a cautious yet gentle hug before pulling back to examine him more closely. "Your mom told me you weren't feeling too well recently."

"Ucky," Henry said softly, sticking out his lower lip for extra emphasis. Spencer mirrored the action.

"I'm sorry you felt 'ucky'," he said sympathetically, rubbing Henry's back. "That made your Uncle Spencer sad. But you're okay now?"

Henry nodded as he mumbled something then, and Spencer looked to JJ, confused.

"All better," she clarified, chuckling at the expression on his face. She was leaning against the wall, quietly observing the little exchange playing out before her. _Another thing I've missed lately._

"Ah. Well, that's good to hear. You need to be well so you can play, right, Henry?"

"Yeah!" Henry shouted happily. JJ and Spencer shared a laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Hey, speaking of playing, I brought you something. I got it to help you feel better, but since you are, now you can actually play with it," Spencer said then as he dug around in his bag. He soon pulled out a small stuffed stegosaurus toy, handing it over to Henry as he proceeded to launch into a small explanation about dinosaurs.

Once she'd caught Spencer take a break from speaking, JJ spoke up. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay here and play and learn more about dinosaurs with you two, I really should get going." She bent down to give Henry a hug as she talked.

"All right. Have a good evening. Make sure you bring a jacket, though," Spencer added as he followed JJ to the door. "I noticed the sky on the way over here, and it looks like we've got a storm coming."

"So long as it's not like what we dealt with in Kansas, that's all I ask," JJ joked. But she took Spencer's advice anyway, digging in her closet for a raincoat.

She was almost to the door before she stopped and turned to him. "You _sure_ you'll be all right?" She tried to keep her face completely neutral, no hint of any fear…but judging from Spencer's wary reaction, she could tell she was failing miserably.

"Yeah, no problem. We're gonna have fun, aren't we, Henry?" He turned to smile at Henry, who was currently occupied with his new toy. Spencer focused on JJ again, his expression serious once more. "Go. Have a good time. I've got this. I'll keep an eye on Henry, I promise."

"I know you will. I trust you. I just…hate to leave him so soon after…" JJ said quietly as she looked past Spencer towards her son.

"I know. But he's fine. Remember what the doctor told you? These sorts of things are common in kids. And besides, like Emily and Garcia said, you need a night to yourself."

JJ nodded, feeling like a kid who'd just been told to eat her vegetables. Yes, yes, she knew all of that. She knew what Spencer was saying about febrile seizures was true, she knew that Henry was back to his old self, she knew that she couldn't hover around forever. And she knew that part of her readjustment meant making it up to her friends for the lack of time together, and getting a moment here and there to clear her own head.

Still, that nasty little pang of guilt lurched in her stomach anyway.

"If anything happens, I'll call you," Spencer reassured her then, interrupting her thoughts. "It's only a few hours. We'll be fine. Relax. Take a break," he urged once again, opening the door and gently guiding her out.

"…all right," JJ sighed. She stopped in the hall, looking directly into her friend's eyes then. "Thanks, Spence."

"Anytime. Bye, JJ." Spencer gave her his most comforting smile before his face disappeared behind the door.

* * *

The storm had started out quietly at first. Gentle pitter-patters of rain, continuous low rumbles of thunder off in the distance. Spencer and Henry had become so caught up in the movie they'd started watching that the bad weather had quickly become a distant thought.

Until an almost blinding flash of lightning grabbed their attention. There was an uneasy minute or so of silence before a sharp cracking sound was heard outside, and Spencer jumped just as Henry scrambled into his lap, whimpering as he did so.

"It's all right, Henry," Spencer gently insisted as he patted Henry's back. "The storm just seems to be getting closer, that's all." He glanced at the window just in time to see another quick flash.

"How about we shut off the movie for a moment and go out into the kitchen?" he asked then, his voice still soft, measured.

"Why?" Henry asked, and Spencer nearly chuckled upon hearing the slight whine in his godson's voice.

"Because," he began as he slowly pried Henry off his lap and stood up, grabbing the boy's hand, "if the storm's getting closer, it's best to stay away from the windows, and there aren't any windows out there." He grabbed the remote, flipping off the television, before taking Henry into the kitchen.

"Why?" Henry asked again.

Spencer smiled to himself at Henry's persistence. He always enjoyed hearing that word out of his godson's mouth. He'd never understood why some parents complained at all about their children constantly "pestering" them with questions. Quite the contrary in Spencer's case – he _loved_ the fact that Henry was a curious child, always wanting to understand or learn something new. And he was more than happy to teach the child anything he wanted to know.

"It helps keep us safe," Spencer explained as he and Henry settled themselves at the table. "Besides, the lightning's kinda scary, isn't it?" Henry firmly nodded at that.

Another boom of thunder, this one actually causing the house to rattle ever so slightly, briefly distracted them then. Spencer looked over at Henry, who now looked as though he were about to cry, and suddenly, an idea hit him.

"Hey, Henry…how would you like to make your own thunderstorm?" Henry looked at his godfather curiously.

"It's super easy. I'll show you." Spencer picked Henry up, carrying him about the apartment as he went looking for the various items he needed, continuing to soothe Henry anytime they saw more lightning or heard more rumbles of thunder.

Once he'd found the stuff he was looking for, once the two of them were settled back at the kitchen table, Spencer began his presentation.

"Okay. Now blow into the paper bag and then twist it shut." Spencer demonstrated, and watched as Henry followed suit. "Now…" Spencer then slammed the bag with his hand, causing it to pop. Henry laughed at his godfather's silly actions, choosing to set the bag on the table and bat at it repeatedly.

"Same thing," Spencer said, bemused. _JJ is going to kill me for introducing him to this one…_ "We're going to do this every time we hear the thunder outside, understand?" A nod was all the confirmation he needed.

For the next fifteen minutes or so, Spencer's plan seemed to work. The two of them soon dissolved into fits of laughter as they tried to blow up the paper bags and punch them in time, and in between that, Spencer was busy trying to show Henry how to make sparks of "lightning" using a foil pie pan, a paper plate, a pin, and a pencil. He had to give it a couple tries in order for it to work, but eventually there were a couple sparks, and Henry looked on, absolutely fascinated.

"Make sure you have an adult around for this one, okay, Henry? Just to be safe?" Again Henry nodded. Satisfied, Spencer began another attempt at making lightning.

Until everything turned pitch black.

Spencer jumped then, blinking as he attempted to get his focus back. The lightning helped, but of course, only briefly. Henry, meanwhile, began to cry. "Mommy!"

"It's okay, Henry!" Spencer called out, fumbling around as he tried to get his bearings. "It's okay. I know you want your mommy, but I'm right here. Can you find me?" He held one hand out, waving it around and wriggling his fingers. A couple moments later, he felt a small hand batting at his.

"There you go," he continued, his voice soothing as he gently squeezed Henry's hand. "Come on. Let's go find a flashlight."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"…'m scared!"

"Don't worry," Spencer assured Henry once again. "I'm not gonna leave you." He bent down, scooping Henry up into his arms once again, as though to confirm his statement, and felt Henry cling to his shirt. "Atta boy. Come on. It's going to be okay. I promise."

Turning to head into the hallway, Reid tensed ever so slightly upon hearing another clap of thunder as he cautiously gazed down the darkened hallway. "It's going to be okay. Going to be okay. Just keep moving…" he faintly muttered.

As he crept down the hallway, he shifted Henry so he could hold him with his right arm, all the while tapping along the wall with his left hand in the hopes of searching for the hall closet. _Should be the first door, about halfway down… _That's where he'd found a couple flashlights the previous year. He and JJ had used them to tell scary stories to Henry and a couple friends of his after they'd all gone trick-or-treating together. _Hopefully she didn't move those, too._

Thankfully, though, shortly after beginning his search, he managed to find what he was looking for. Hanging on the coat rack in the closet was a small bag, in which lay the flashlights, and he could tell, from feeling around in the bag, that there were fresh batteries in the front pocket as well. Pulling the bag out and slinging it over his shoulder, Spencer headed back towards the kitchen, Henry still in tow.

After a few minutes of fumbling about, he finally got the flashlights sorted, letting out a small whoop as he flicked them both on. "There we go. It's not much, but it's good enough for now." He handed Henry the other flashlight, showing him how to set it underneath his chin.

"Remember last year when I told you that story, and made funny faces and scary noises?"

"Yeah!"

"Can you show me your own funny faces and scary noises, Henry?"

Henry let out a small "grrrr" as he scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue.

"Ooh, that's very frightening!" Spencer exclaimed. "Can you let out a _really_ big roar? Like this? RAWR!" He curled his hand into attack mode as he did his best growl. Henry imitated his actions.

"Yeah, there ya go! And listen! The thunder's starting to quiet down. You're scaring the storm away!"

As the weather continued to settle outside, the laughter and silly noises only increased inside.

* * *

An hour later, godfather and godson were busily devouring a bowl full of grapes when there was a sudden knock at the door. Spencer looked at the clock.

"That must be your mom," he said. "Come on, let's go say hi." Henry didn't need much encouragement with that idea. Spencer beat him to the door, the first to greet JJ.

"Hey, Spence."

"Welcome back." Spencer watched, amused as she pulled her hood down, shaking her head from side to side. "You're soaked," he noted matter-of-factly as he began helping her out of her jacket.

JJ raised her eyebrows. "Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious." She had a playful smirk on her face as she answered him, though. "We had to wait for a cab. We would've just stayed inside the bar, but they'd already closed by the time it started pouring." She ran a hand through her damp hair, ruffling it a few times to shake it out.

"You should have called me, I could've come and got you guys," Spencer replied as he set her coat in the closet.

"With _that_ lightning? Uh-uh. Didn't want to chance it."

"Understandable," he replied, chuckling. Just then, there was a quick flash of yellow in front of him.

"MOMMY!" Henry exclaimed, running up to hug her legs. JJ laughed.

"Hi, sweetie! Oh, I missed you!" she said as she picked him up. "I'm sorry I wasn't here during the icky storm. Are you okay?"

Henry nodded firmly. "I made storm!"

JJ looked over at Spencer, eyebrows raised.

"I, uh, did a little science experiment to show him how you can recreate the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning," he said a little shyly. He'd tell her about the paper bag later.

"Ahhhh. Wow. That sounds pretty cool. Did you guys do any other fun stuff?"

"The power went out at one point, so we brought the flashlights out and hung out in the kitchen," he continued.

"Dark scary," Henry said then, pouting.

"Ohhhh, I know." JJ hugged her son then, patting his back before putting him back down. "Good thing you had the flashlights, then, huh?" She glanced back over at Spencer, her face a mix of teasing and genuine concern. "Were _you_ okay?"

"Fine!" he quickly answered, fidgeting slightly with his hands. "Just…just fine. The power didn't stay off too long, and we made funny faces with the flashlights to pass the time." His eyes darted about for a moment longer before he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Anything else?"

"We watched a bit of a movie, and we had a snack…some grapes!" He held his hands up in protest as he saw JJ throw him the evil eye. "We had some grapes! No sugar, I promise."

JJ continued to scrutinize Spencer for a moment longer before relenting. "Okay. I believe you," she said. "Well, it sure sounds like you two brave guys held down the fort pretty good tonight!"

"He's a tough kid," Spencer said proudly as he briefly glanced at Henry before giving JJ a knowing look.

_You were right. Thank you._ "He sure is. But unfortunately, Mr. Brave Tough Guy, you know what it's time for now, right?" She looked down at Henry then, hands on her hips.

"No!" Henry whined.

"I know you don't want to, but it's getting way late. Especially for you." Normally she was much firmer with him on bedtime – at least, until recently, anyway. She'd found herself okaying Henry being up later and later whenever she would be home late from work, and after this last case, she didn't even bother setting time limits the last week or so. _Can you blame him for getting used to this?_

"Wanna play!" Her son continued his defiant protest.

"Henry…"

"Hey, Henry," Spencer interrupted then, crouching down to the boy's eye level as he spoke in a conspiratorial tone. "If you listen to your mom and go get in bed, maybe she'll let me read a quick story to you. How's that sound?"

"Yaaaaaaay!" Henry squealed, jumping up and down. "Story!" He looked up eagerly at JJ.

JJ looked back and forth between her son's excited smile and the pleading look in Spencer's eyes.

"How can I say no to those faces? All right," she began, ruffling Henry's hair. "Go get ready for bed and Uncle Spence'll be in shortly." The two adults smiled as Henry's cheers echoed down the hall.

"Thanks, JJ."

"No problem." She ruffled his hair as well before directing him down the hall.

A half hour or so later, JJ looked up from her spot on the couch to see Spencer step into the living room. "Story's done. He's waiting to say good night to you," he said.

"Wonderful. Be in in a minute, sweetie!" she called down the hall. She stood then, straightening up the living room a little. Spencer immediately took over, telling her to go tend to Henry. She didn't need much persuading. He was surprised when, just ten short minutes later, she returned. "Out like a light," she said, sounding slightly awed.

"Wow, really?" Spencer looked at the clock again. Just shy of ten-thirty.

"Yeah. All that excitement tonight must've worn him out."

"I guess so."

A thought suddenly came to JJ then. "Hey, would you like something to drink before you go. Some coffee?"

"That sounds great. Only if it's not too much trouble…"

"Not at all." JJ turned and headed towards her kitchen, calling back to Spencer. "Sit. Take a breather." He settled himself onto her couch, leaning his head back and closing his eyes for a few moments.

Shortly thereafter, JJ returned, and the two soon found themselves relishing the warmth of the drinks in their hands, enjoying the silence of the situation. It was comfortable. Relaxed. No tension to be found lurking anywhere. They both secretly welcomed the feeling.

"Thanks again for watching Henry tonight." JJ's voice echoed slightly in the room as she spoke.

"Happy to. I enjoy spending time with him," Spencer said eagerly.

"Well, he really enjoys spending time with you, too. You're quite good with him, Spence." JJ's heart swelled a little at the deeply touched look on his face just then.

"…thanks." He briefly looked down, his face bashful. "He makes it easy, though. He's a good kid. He's got good parents." Back up again, smiling, only to frown as he saw JJ set her cup down on the coffee table and fold her arms. Her face had rapidly become hesitant and uncertain. Trying to keep the light mood and general conversation going, Spencer picked a different topic.

"What time is Will supposed to get off work?"

"Late, he said. Sounds like he's got a busy shift ahead of him," JJ said wearily. She grew quiet again then, that uncertainty still etched on her face, and growing deeper by the minute.

"Something wrong?" he asked, leaning in and trying to catch her eye. He waited patiently while she debated whether or not to discuss things further. Finally, after letting out a sigh, she answered him.

"Before we left for Kansas," she began slowly, "Will and I got in a fight about me having to go to work. Henry was sick, and I wanted to be here, and he wanted me here, but I had to come in, and he was upset about it."

"We would've understood if you'd stayed home," Spencer said quietly.

"I know. But now that I'm back at the BAU, I have to get used to being on call more often again. Hotch can't always stay home with Jack, after all. It's part of the risk with this job. But I just…" She looked down at her hands, clasped together anxiously. "…I felt guilty the whole time we were out there. I couldn't concentrate on anything but Henry."

"You're his mom. You were worried. Any parent would be," Spencer said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but…Will was right. If I'd had my old job, this wouldn't have been an issue."

A brief sense of unease ran through Spencer then. "_Do_ you miss your old job?"

"No! God, no. I like being back here. With you guys." She looked down at her lap, tugging at a loose thread on the couch. "Will misses me working at my old job, though."

"That makes sense. It was easier for you to be home with him and Henry."

"That's what he said." _That's the Spence I know._ Somehow, hearing those words from her friend's mouth allowed her a sense of relief. Maybe it's because he wasn't saying it in the heat of an argument. Maybe it's because it was his way of acknowledging that he'd come to accept her having been away from the BAU for a while.

Or maybe it was the fact that it was a reminder of one of the things she'd long admired, and which she'd added to the ever-growing list of what she'd missed, about him. He'd always been so good at seeing both sides of a situation… Whatever the reason, all she did know for certain was that it felt so good to finally be able to talk with him like this again.

Realizing she was no longer talking, however, she quickly picked up where she'd left off in her little rant. "And I did like that, too, don't get me wrong. I just…I guess the transition's a little tougher than I – _we_ – realized. Yet now here I am feeling frustrated that Will's gone all night. Pretty hypocritical, huh?" She winced as she looked back at Spencer.

"No. You guys just miss each other when you're away. You'd be like this no matter what your job was. It's perfectly natural. Studies have proven that the old saying about 'absence making the heart grow fonder' actually has some truth to it, and provides certain mental and intellectual benefits –"

"Spence," JJ cut him off gently, touching his arm. _Only because it's getting late. Otherwise…_

"Right, sorry." Spencer smiled apologetically. "Anyway, my point is, you two love each other. Considering all the other things you guys have made it through, you can handle this." He grew thoughtful for a moment before speaking again, his voice almost a whisper now. "It's important to have somebody who cares about you that much."

JJ could only respond by wrapping her arms around Spencer's neck, trying to keep from chuckling as she felt him hesitantly return the hug. "Thanks, Spence," she finally said. "I actually feel better now."

"Good." Spencer gently pried himself back so he was at arm's length with JJ. "That was the idea." The two laughed then, before he continued. "For what it's worth, I speak for the rest of the team when I say we're glad you're back, too." Another pause. "_I'm_ glad you're back."

"Really?" JJ felt a lump in her throat at that admission. She'd managed to start patching things up well enough with Spencer in recent months after the whole Emily situation – they'd met for lunch a few times, paired up together a little more often on cases, talked more at work – but there were still days it seemed their friendship was a little _too_ fragile yet. Like a vase you glued back together, but whose cracks still showed if you looked closely enough.

"Really." His eyes were a shade darker than normal, a sign of how serious and sincere he was with his words, much to her pleasant surprise. Maybe those cracks were more easily smoothed over than she thought. "I know this past year's been a rough one in many ways, for both of us, and I just want to say that I really am sorry if I helped make it even more tough. I know I was kind of…moody there for a while, after all." He gave JJ a wry smile.

"It's okay," she said reassuringly. "You had every right to be upset."

"Maybe, but you were stressed out, too. You had a lot on your shoulders. You had the right to be mad at me, too."

"We can't control how we feel about what happens, Spence. All we can do is control how we react. And even then, stress can make us do things we normally wouldn't otherwise do. Our job alone proves that," JJ explained. She looked down at her hands then. "But having said that…I'm sorry, too. For everything. I know that doesn't even begin to make up for all that happened, and I don't know if I ever can truly make up for everything, but…I really am sorry."

"I know you are. And I understand. As for making up for everything…I think this," he waved a hand back and forth between the two of them, as well as in the general direction of Henry's room, "is more than enough repayment." Spencer made sure to stress the last part of his sentence for JJ's sake. He needed to let her know how important this opportunity to repair their friendship was. After the recent discussion he and Emily had had about near-death experiences, and second chances, and after seeing what Rossi had been through recently with Carolyn…well, Spencer may not have been much of a religious person, but he knew signs when he saw them. And he hoped JJ had seen those same signs as well.

"Spence?" JJ's voice cut through his thoughts then, and he shook his head as he regarded her once more. "What?"

"I just wanted to say, I greatly appreciate that. Thank you." She reached out again, patting his arm.

"You're welcome." Another silence fell between them before Spencer spoke again. "Well…I should be getting home."

"Yeah. It's late. I need to take a good shower," She glanced down at her still damp clothes, "and then go to bed. Still getting used to the old BAU hours." Spencer chuckled at that, nodding sympathetically. She placed a hand on his shoulder as the two of them walked to the door. "Thanks again for everything tonight."

"It's no problem, JJ. You know if you ever need anything…"

"…I can call you. Right. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." He stopped at the door. "So, _did_ you have fun tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yes, Spence. Really. You were right. It did feel good to get out and clear my head for a few hours. And being with Garcia and Emily is always fun in itself." She paused. "They might be a little 'under the weather' tomorrow, though, so, you know, heads up." Spencer simply shook his head. He never ceased to be amused by his friends' partying abilities. "But yeah. We had fun. _I_ had fun."

"Glad to hear it." Spencer opened the door then, taking one last look at her. "It really is good to have you back." A quick hug, a promise from him to drive safely and let her know he made it home okay, and with that, he was off.

Closing the door, JJ leaned against it, wrapping an arm around her waist and smiling as she wiped at a couple tears at the corners of her eyes.

_It's good to be back, Spence. _

* * *

_Storm experiement information taken from the website ehow . com, in an article entitled "Science Projects on Severe Storms". As always, reviews/critiques/etc. are appreciated. _


End file.
